3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (Matthew 19:3-12 KJV)
Teaching About Divorce
In this passage, we have Christ’s law concerning divorce, prompted by a question from the Pharisees meant to trap him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” (Mt 19:3). Their aim was not to learn, but to provoke. If Christ rejected divorce, they could accuse him of opposing Moses; if he allowed it, they could claim his teaching lacked the higher righteousness expected of the Messiah.
Their question arose from Deuteronomy 24:1, where Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce if he found “some uncleanness” in his wife. Over time, this was interpreted so broadly that men divorced their wives for trivial reasons. The Pharisees asked whether divorce was lawful for any reason, as many practiced.
Christ answered with scriptural authority and clear reasoning, showing that casual divorce was never God’s intention. He first pointed to creation: “Have you not read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female?” (Mt 19:4; cf. Ge 1:27; 5:2). God made one woman for one man—Eve for Adam. Their union was designed to be permanent, as Eve was formed from Adam’s side. Human marriage reflects a deeper unity than that of animals; it is covenantal and rational.
Then Christ cited the foundational principle of marriage: “A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife” (Mt 19:5; cf. Ge 2:24). This bond surpasses even that of parent and child. If natural relationships are not to be broken lightly, much less should the marital bond be.
Finally, he emphasized the nature of marriage: “They are no longer two, but one flesh” (Mt 19:6). A wife is not merely close to her husband—she is one with the husband. Some say a man’s children are parts of him, but his wife is himself. Just as no one would cut off their own body, a husband must not separate from his wife. God made one Eve for one Adam (cf. Mal 2:15), emphasizing monogamy and unity. Therefore, Christ concluded, “What God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mt 19:6).
This teaches that marriage is a divine institution—God joins husband and wife together. Being God’s ordinance, man has no right to break it, neither husband nor magistrate. “The God of Israel says that he hates divorce” (Mal 2:16). Human authority cannot undo what God has established.
The Pharisees objected, “Why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” (Mt 19:7). They appealed to Deuteronomy 24 to challenge Christ’s teaching. But Moses permitted—he did not command—divorce. The allowance was a concession to Israel’s hard hearts (Mt 19:8), not an endorsement. Left without this option, some husbands may have mistreated or even harmed their wives. God’s law accounted for human cruelty, but Christ’s teaching restores marriage to its original dignity.
Jesus replied, “From the beginning it was not so” (Mt 19:8). When divine institutions become corrupted, the solution is to return to their original intent. Paul used the same approach regarding the Lord’s Supper (1Co 11:23), and Jeremiah called people back to the “ancient paths” (Jer 6:16).
Then Christ gave his definitive ruling: “Anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery” (Mt 19:9). This restates his teaching from Matthew 5:32. He permitted divorce only in the case of sexual immorality (“porneia”), which breaks the one-flesh bond: sexual sin violates the unity of marriage. In all other cases, divorce is not lawful. Gospel times are times of reformation (Heb 9:10), and Christ restores the holiness of marriage. Easy divorce harms families and society, and Christ’s law promotes our good even in this life.
Under the law of Moses, divorce was tolerated due to hard hearts. Under the law of Christ, believers are expected to have tender hearts—ready to bear with and forgive one another. If husbands love their wives, and wives respect their husbands, and both live as “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Pet. 3:7), divorce becomes unnecessary. These teachings surpass even Moses’ laws.
The disciples reacted, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry” (Mt 19:10). They assumed that without the option of divorce, marriage was too risky. But from the beginning, when divorce was not allowed, God still said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Ge 2:18), and blessed the union.
Their reaction shows how human nature resists restraint and seeks freedom to follow its own desires. But it is unwise to reject God’s blessings because they involve responsibility. We should embrace marriage with gratitude, patience, and love—its trials do not outweigh its blessings (Ec 7:14).
Christ responded, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given” (Matt. 19:11). He acknowledged that celibacy is good for some—not as a protest against marriage, but as a gift and calling from God. He described three kinds of eunuchs: those born so, those made so by others, and those who choose celibacy “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:12). These choose singleness not out of disdain for marriage, but to be more fully devoted to God’s service.
He concluded, “The one who can accept this should accept it.” Celibacy is not a general rule but a personal calling. The disciples had spoken hastily, but Christ corrected them: singleness may be best for some, but not for all.